The Russian government will soon
introduce one-third of a package of laws required by the IMF
to disburse new money to Russia, First Deputy Prime Minister
Yurii Maslyukov said on 30 April. The previous day, State
Duma Budget Committee Chairman Aleksandr Zhukov
predicted that "the government will have to make a colossal
effort to persuade deputies to increase excise duties and to
give up the reduction of value-added tax" particularly during
an election year. Federation Council Chairman Yegor Stroev
was more optimistic, saying that the upper legislative body is
likely to approve the measures unless senators feel that the
IMF is trying to pressure them politically. Duma Deputy
Aleksandr Shokhin suggested to Interfax that Prime Minister
Yevgenii Primakov might successfully blackmail the Duma into
passing the entire package of 59 bills by threatening to
resign. JAC

FEARS RAISED FOR NEXT CROP

Specialists at the Ministry
of Agriculture said on 29 April that this summer Russia may
experience a drought similar to the one that ruined crops in
40 regions last year, ITAR-TASS reported. Unusually warm
weather in the spring caused snow to melt too quickly for
the soil to absorb the water. The ministry expressed
particular concern about the low levels of moisture of soil in
Stavropol and Krasnodar Krais and several regions in the
Volga area and central Russia. Farmers can try to lock
moisture in by using tractors, but fuel shortages have limited
the use of that technique. Last year's grain harvest was the
worst in 40 years. JAC

DUMA DEPUTY SUGGESTS REVISING NO FIRST USE
DOCTRINE...

In an interview with "Ekho Moskvy" on 29 April,
Defense Committee Chairman Roman Popkovich (Our Home Is
Russia) repeated an earlier suggestion that Russia amend its
military doctrine to allow the option of a first nuclear strike--
"but not necessarily with strategic missiles." Popkovich added
that the change is needed because NATO's new strategy
allows it the option to launch a first nuclear strike. The next
day, "Izvestiya" reported that although Russian officials
claimed that the Security Council's discussion the previous
day of Russia's nuclear weapons strategy was unrelated to
the Balkans crisis, an anonymous source at the council said
"the recent conceptual alterations in NATO's tactics and
strategy...did not go unnoticed during the adoption of the
final version of the [council's] documents." JAC

...AS RUSSIA PREPARES FOR EVENTUALITY OF LAND
WAR?

Noting that the content of the documents has not
been made public, the newspaper speculated that Russia's
Strategic Rocket Forces would return to "the old encounter
attack form of combat actions," abandoning its current
orientation toward retaliatory attacks. The new emphasis on
tactical nuclear weapons suggests that the armed forces are
preparing for the eventuality of a land war, according to the
daily. Reuters quoted an anonymous Russian defense analyst
as saying that the development of tactical nuclear weapons
"will take 15 years at a minimum and huge amount of
resources." "It's a game so that the West will get upset," he
concluded. JAC

CHERNOMYRDIN REPORTS PROGRESS

After meeting with
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Bonn on 29 April,
Russia's envoy for Yugoslavia Viktor Chernomyrdin said that
"there is progress but no breakthrough." He stressed that
"our major task is to stop the bombings in Yugoslavia and
establish peace there," AP reported. Schroeder told Reuters
that there was movement "only on the diplomatic front."
Following subsequent talks with Italian Prime Minister Massimo
D'Alema in Rome, Chernomyrdin commented that "our
positions have moved closer on the ways and the directions
in which we can pursue" a political solution to the Kosova
conflict. Chernomyrdin did not elaborate on the "concrete
proposals" he pledged to put forward in Belgrade at a
scheduled meeting with Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic on 30 April. FS

TALBOTT SAYS 'HARD WORK' NEEDED TO REACH
COMMON POSITION

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe
Talbott told the NATO Council in Brussels on 29 April that
there is still a lot of "very hard work" to do before the West
and Russia find a common position. Chernomyrdin also
discussed by telephone with U.S. Vice President Al Gore the
possible composition of a peace-keeping force. A U.S.
spokesman told AP that Gore "reiterated NATO's conditions
for ending the air strikes." FS

YELTSIN SEES 'HIGH STAKES' FOR ENTIRE WORLD

Russian
President Boris Yeltsin told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
in Moscow on 29 April that "the stakes are very high now not
only for the Balkans and Europe, but for the entire world," AP
reported. He added that "either law and order will be
restored or lawlessness and the unlimited force of one
country will rule the world"" (an apparent reference to the
U.S.). Meanwhile, Yugoslav Ambassador to Moscow,
Milosevic's brother Borislav, stressed that Belgrade is willing
to accept only a "civilian mission under the UN flag" with a
large Russian component, but no NATO participation, ITAR-
TASS reported. And on 30 April, an Il-76 transport plane
carrying humanitarian aid bound for Yugoslavia left Nizhnii
Novgorod. The plane did not receive an air corridor to
Belgrade and was redirected to Skopje. FS

YELTSIN ORDERS TIGHTER CONTROL IN KRASNOYARSK

President Yeltsin has issued an unexpected order to Prime
Minister Primakov and heads of various power ministries to
intensify control over the office of the Prosecutor-General,
the Interior Ministry, and other law enforcement agencies in
Krasnoyarsk Krai, "Trud" reported on 30 April. According to
the daily, Krasnoyarsk Governor Aleksandr Lebed neither
asked nor knew anything about the "assistance" President
Yeltsin is offering. Earlier, Lebed enlisted Primakov in his fight
against local business baron Anatolii Bykov, who is now facing
criminal charges for money laundering (see "RFE/RL Russian
Federation Report," 14 April 1999). The newspaper
speculates that Yeltsin's order was prompted by information
from Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Kolesnikov, who heads
a commission investigating economic crimes in the region.
Kolesnikov has reportedly had to enlist many new personnel
as the number of criminal cases needing attention has far
outstripped expectations. JAC

COMMUNISTS TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER?

The Central
Committee of the Communist Party (KPRF) is likely to
announce on 22 May its strategy for upcoming Duma
elections, unidentified Duma deputies from the Communist
faction told Interfax on 29 April. According to these sources,
the party intends to run Communists in "three columns," with
KPRF leader Gennadii Zyuganov heading the biggest column,
Duma Security Committee Chairman Viktor Ilyukhin and deputy
Albert Makashov the radical column, and Duma Chairman
Gennadii Seleznev and Aleksei Podberyozkin, head of Spiritual
Heritage, the third column. Earlier, Ilyukhin said that he would
run in the elections in his own bloc, the Movement for
Support of the Army, "Moskovskii komsomolets" reported on
21 April. According to the daily, Ilyukhin's movement is
composed of the Russian Party, the Union Movement, and the
Moslem Committee. On 19 April, Viktor Anpilov, head of Labor
Russia, said his movement is also willing to join. JAC

PASKO ACCUSES FSB OF COVERING UP EMBEZZLEMENT

Military journalist Grigorii Pasko testified in court on 29 April
that the main reason for the case against him was that he
came too close to exposing the embezzlement of a $100
million grant from the Japanese government intended for the
construction of a plant for the treatment of liquid radioactive
waste, "Izvestiya" reported on 30 April. Pasko has been
charged with espionage and treason for disclosing to
Japanese media classified materials about the Pacific Fleet's
environmentally hazardous practices. He had kept all the
evidence at his home; however it all disappeared after
Federal Security Service officers searched his home before
the trial. According to Pasko, the treatment facility was never
built, AP reported. JAC

YELTSIN NAMES NEW ENVOYS TO REGIONS

President
Yeltsin signed decrees on 28 April appointing Gennadii
Mushkin his envoy to the Republic of Kalmykia and Aleksandr
Korobeinikov his representative in Stavropol Krai, ITAR-TASS
reported. JAC

RUSSIAN PIPELINE THROUGH CHECHNYA REOPENS

Azerbaijani officials told Reuters on 29 April that oil is again
flowing from Baku through Chechnya to Novorossiisk. The
pipeline, which carries 115,000 barrels a day, was shut down
for three days because of "technical problems on the
Chechen part" of the route. PG

AZERBAIJAN'S Aliyev UNDERGOES BYPASS SURGERY

President Heidar Aliev, 75, underwent a heart bypass
operation in Cleveland, Ohio, on 29 April and is now resting
comfortably, his office told Reuters on 30 April. Aliyev
reportedly suffered a heart attack in 1987. Earlier this year,
he was hospitalized in Turkey for what was officially
described as acute bronchitis but was thought by some
observers to be more serious. PG

SHEVARDNADZE SAYS GEORGIA SEEKS MEMBERSHIP IN
NATO...

On his return from the U.S., Georgian President
Eduard Shevardnadze told a press conference on 29 April
that his country is now actively seeking membership in NATO
and that he has asked the alliance's secretary-general, Javier
Solana, to accelerate the process, Western agencies
reported. The Georgian leader said that "time is needed" for
this to happen, but he expressed the hope that "possibly
this will happen sooner than we assume." PG

...CALLS FOR UN REFORM...

The Georgian president said
the UN must be "significantly reformed" or it will "lose its
purpose," Interfax reported on 29 April. He called for the
creation of a UN peacekeeping force, limitations on the right
of permanent members of the Security Council to cast
vetoes, and an increase in the number of members in that
body. PG

...SAYS CLINTON SEES KOSOVO-ABKHAZ ANALOGY

Shevardnadze also said that U.S. President Bill Clinton
"believes that the same crime happened in Abkhazia as in
Kosova," ITAR-TASS reported on 29 April. The Georgian
president added that he and Clinton agreed that "ethnic
cleansing and genocide should not remain unpunished
regardless of where they take place." His comments came as
the Abkhaz and Georgian sides agreed to set up a joint
commission to monitor violations of the May 1994 cease-fire
agreement, Interfax reported. PG

TURKISH NAVAL SQUADRON VISITS GEORGIAN PORTS

Four ships of the Turkish Navy began three-day visits to the
Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi on 29 April, ITAR-TASS
reported. PG

FORMER KAZAKH POLICE OFFICIAL FOUND GUILTY OF
SPYING

Major-General Rais Khadeyev, a former deputy head
of Kazakhstan's security service, was found guilty of spying
for a foreign power and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the
confiscation of property, and the loss of his rank, Interfax
reported on 29 April. PG

UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENT TO FOCUS ON SECURITY

On his
return from Washington, Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov
said that he will devote more attention to both external and
internal security, Interfax reported on 29 April. Karimov said
that many threats originated with the "outside sponsors" of
various factions in the Afghan civil war. PG

UZBEK, UKRAINIAN NATIONAL AIRLINES FORM ALLIANCE

In order to improve cooperation in the airline industry, the
national carriers of Uzbekistan and Ukraine on 29 April signed
an agreement in Tashkent on forming a new "CIS-Alliance" air
system, Interfax reported. PG

RAKHMONOV RULES OUT ISLAMIC STATE FOR
TAJIKISTAN

Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov said in St.
Petersburg on 27 April that "only a secular government can
guarantee peace" in his country, Interfax reported on 29
April. Meanwhile, Tajik Islamic opposition members have
demanded that the authorities release prisoners in exchange
for the return of six policemen taken hostage on 28 April,
Reuters reported. PG

RUSSIAN GUARDS KILL DRUG SMUGGLER ON AFGHAN-
TAJIK BORDER

Russian border troops killed a drug
smuggler and wounded another on the Afghan-Tajik border
on 29 April, AP reported. The two suspects were carrying 13
kilograms of heroin and 7 kilograms of marijuana. PG

TURKMENISTAN PUSHES FOR GAS PIPELINE

At talks in
Ashgabat on 27 April, Turkmenistan President Saparmurad
Niyazov and PSG, the U.S. company that plans to build a gas
pipeline across the Caspian, agreed to speed up work on the
project, Interfax reported on 29 April. They discussed the
preliminary financial plan and the organization of the
multicompany consortium that PSG will head. PG

BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LAYS DOWN PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION PROCEDURE

Belarus's opposition Central
Electoral Commission, which is organizing presidential
elections in accordance with the 1994 constitution, has
adopted procedures for that ballot, RFE/RL's Belarusian
Service reported on 29 April. Since the authorities have
refused to provide polling stations for the elections, the
central commission ordered local electoral commission
representatives to visit voters' homes with ballot boxes.
Voting will take place from 6-16 May. In adopting such a
resolution, the commission said it took into account Article 32
of the presidential election law, which allows ballots to be
cast at voters' homes if voters cannot visit polling stations
because of "health reasons or other valid causes."
Commission secretary Barys Hyunter commented to RFE/RL
that the voting procedure is "irreproachably" in accordance
with the country's legislation. JM

KUCHMA CONFIDENT OF ELECTION VICTORY

Ukrainian
President Leonid Kuchma said in Khmelnytskyy on 29 April
that he is convinced of his victory in the presidential
elections on 31 October, Ukrainian Television reported. He
added that his main election rival is the economic situation in
Ukraine but noted that he knows what measures to take.
According to the president, Ukraine's economic troubles are
due to the fact that the country "has not renounced
Communist ideology." Kuchma said Ukraine's power structure
determined by the constitution is ineffectual and should be
changed "with the help of the people." Kuchma also criticized
the parliament for its inefficiency, saying that lawmakers lack
the "political will to take resolute steps" and continue to
"battle with the executive." JM

UKRAINIAN BANKS PROTEST DISCLOSING CUSTOMER
DATA

Along with eight business organizations and trade
unions, the Association of Ukrainian Banks have issued a
statement protesting a new regulation whereby commercial
banks are to provide information to the tax authorities about
some of their accounts, AP reported on 29 April. Under that
regulation, Ukrainian banks will be asked to disclose
transaction records and other information on the accounts of
individuals and companies suspected of tax evasion. The
protest statement says that tax officials want information
that has "nothing to do with taxation" and that this violates
"citizens' legal rights to conduct business." JM

ESTONIA'S INTERIOR MINISTER CALLS CITIZENSHIP
POLICY 'TOO INFLEXIBLE'

Writing in "Eesti Paevaleht" on 29
April, Juri Mois of the coalition Fatherland Union argued that
Estonian policy vis-a-vis its non-citizens has been "too
inflexible" and should be changed, ETA reported. "The state
should be braver in making exceptions in the granting of
citizenship and at the same time make the status of alien in
Estonia more attractive," he commented. Pointing to the
country's low birth rate, Mois argued that it would be
expedient from the point of view of national interests,
including with regard to foreign investment, to ease
legislation on restricting immigration. And he stressed that
Estonia's national interests also require that non-citizens "be
given a clear message that they are in every way personae
gratae in our country." JC

LATVIAN PARLIAMENT RE-ELECTS KAMALDINS...

Lawmakers on 29 April voted to re-elect Lainis Kamaldins as
director of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution,
LETA reported. In the secret ballot, 68 of the 91 deputies
present voted for him to continue in office. Kamaldins was at
the center of a controversy last month when he suggested
that Latvian Jews may have been involved in the 1998
bombing of the Riga synagogue (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22
March 1999). JC

...SACKS TELECOMMUNICATIONS TARIFFS COUNCIL

Also
on 29 April, the parliament voted to dismiss the
Telecommunications Tariffs Council and appoint a new council
within one month, according to LETA. A parliamentary
commission had argued in favor of such a move saying that
the council's work is "incompatible" with the interests of the
state and taxpayers. In January, the council had approved
increased telephone charges that were later revoked by
Transportation Minister Anatolijs Gorbunovs (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 January and 7 April 1999). Prime Minister Vilis
Kristopans, meanwhile, has said he will ask legal experts to
determine whether the parliament's move is in keeping with
the constitution. JC

LANDSBERGIS AT ODDS WITH CONSERVATIVES OVER
STATEMENT BACKING PREMIER

Lithuanian parliamentary
chairman Vytautas Landsbergis, speaking to journalists on 29
April, said he has informed President Valdas Adamkus that he
does not concur with all points of the Conservatives'
statement backing Premier Gediminas Vagnorius amid his
ongoing dispute with the president, ELTA reported. The
previous day, the parliamentary group of the Conservative
Party had issued that statement, in which the deputies also
made clear that they will not take part in a new government if
the president is involved in its formation. Such a minority
government, the Conservatives argued, would be the
"president's government." Landsbergis had been in Sofia on
28 April attending a meeting of parliamentary chairmen of EU
associate member countries. Meanwhile, Vagnorius is
expected to make a statement on 30 April in response to
Adamkus's expression of no confidence in him. JC

POLISH RIGHTISTS DEMAND FIVE DEPUTIES BE SUBJECT
TO LUSTRATION

Michal Janiszewski, a parliamentary deputy
and a member of the right-wing Confederation for an
Independent Poland--Homeland (KPN--0), has asked the
lustration prosecutor to examine the cases of five prominent
parliamentary deputies: Leszek Miller, Wlodzimierz
Cimoszewicz, Jerzy Jaskiernia, Jacek Piechota (all members of
the Democratic Left Alliance), and Jerzy Osiatynski of the
Freedom Union. According to Janiszewski, there are grounds
to believe that they collaborated with the communist-era
special services. Miller and Cimoszewicz said on 29 April that
the charges are "groundless and false." Earlier, another KPN--
O member, Tomasz Karwowski, asked the lustration
prosecutor to examine whether Premier Jerzy Buzek had
been a communist-era collaborator. JM

POLISH TROOPS' DEPARTURE FOR ALBANIA DELAYED

The departure of 140 Polish troops to Albania, scheduled to
take place on 29 April, has been delayed, "Gazeta Wyborcza"
reported. The soldiers were due to travel to Italy by train
and proceed by ferry to Albania. Defense Ministry spokesman
Leszek Laszczyk said that it turned out "at the very last
moment" that the Polish troops must have permission from
the Hungarian parliament to transit Hungary. Poland has
received such permission from the Hungarian government,
but under the Hungarian Constitution, the transit of foreign
troops through Hungary requires parliamentary approval. JM

CZECH AMBASSADOR TO EU REJECTS CALLS FOR
ABOLISHING BENES DECREES

Josef Kreuter said in
Brussels on 29 April that the European Parliament's resolution
calling for the abrogation of the Benes decrees is
"deplorable," CTK reported. Kreuter said it is impossible to
"tear things out of their concrete historical context." He said
the expulsion of ethnic groups, including some 2.5 million
Germans, from Czechoslovakia after World War II was
discussed at the Potsdam conference in 1945 and that the
confiscation of property was approved by the Paris
conference one year later. Kreuter also dismissed a
statement by Germany's European Parliament deputy Hartmut
Nassauer that the issue of the Benes decrees would be
reviewed during EU accession talks. Some members of the
Czech Constitutional Court said recently advocated that the
decrees be abrogated (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 April
1999). PB

CZECH, SLOVAK PREMIERS AGREE ON DIVISION OF
PROPERTY

Czech Premier Milos Zeman and his Slovak
counterpart, Mikulas Dzurinda, said on 29 April that they have
tentatively agreed to sign an agreement on the controversial
division of Czechoslovak assets, TASR reported. The two
made the announcement after meeting in the Czech town of
Uherske Hradiste. They refused to reveal details of the
possible settlement, though Dzurinda said Zeman presented
a new alternative to the long-standing dispute. They said the
agreement could be signed in Prague on 23-24 September or
7-8 October. In other news, Czech President Vaclav Havel
said in an address to a joint session of the Canadian
parliament in Ottawa that human rights take precedence over
state rights. He said the campaign against Yugoslavia is being
conducted in defense of humanitarian values. PB

POLISH OFFICIAL WANTS SLOVAKIA IN EU'S FAST
TRACK

Jan Kulakowski, Poland's chief negotiator in EU
accession talks, said in Bratislava on 29 April that Slovakia,
Latvia, and Lithuania should definitely be added to the list of
fast track candidates for EU membership, CTK reported.
Slovak Premier Mikulas Dzurinda told Kulakowski that Slovakia
is indebted to Poland for its support at the recent NATO
summit in Washington. "Slovakia does not owe us anything.
This is our solidarity," Kulakowski responded. In other news,
two presidential candidates, front-runner Rudolf Schuster and
Magda Vasaryova were involved in separate minor traffic
accidents on 29 April. Neither was injured. The official
presidential campaign kicks off on 30 April and ends two
days before the 15 May vote. The Radio and Television
Broadcasting Council will monitor all news programs on state
channels as well as on the private stations TV Markiza and
VTV to ensure balance and fairness, TASR reported. PB

ORBAN TELLS PARLIAMENT HUNGARY IS SAFE

Prime
Minister Viktor Orban told the parliament on 29 April that
Hungarians "could not be more secure than we are now,"
Hungarian Television reported. Orban said it is not surprising
that "citizens of Hungary, especially those living in the area of
the southern frontier, are worried about the NATO strikes."
But he said that when the air campaign began, "we were not
lonely and helpless but enjoyed equal membership with the
strongest military alliance in the world." Laszlo Kovacs, the
chairman of the opposition Hungarian Socialist Party, said it is
important for the government to "clearly disassociate itself
from all border modification proposals and territorial claims."
Istvan Csurka, head of the nationalist Hungarian Justice and
Life Party, has recently made several irredentist proposals in
connection with the ethnic Hungarian population in Vojvodina.
PB

'ETHNIC CLEANSING' UNDER WAY IN MONTENEGRO

The
Yugoslav army has begun ordering the mainly Muslim
inhabitants to leave a 5 mile (8 kilometer) wide swathe of
territory between Rozaje and the Kosovar border, "The Daily
Telegraph" reported on 30 April. The ethnic cleansing
operation, which is apparently aimed at depriving the Kosova
Liberation Army (UCK) of places to regroup and hide, has
strained relations between the army and the population of
Rozaje. The Muslim mayor said the "relationship between the
town and the army is like a thread. It can easily break at any
time." Some Kosovar refugees, who fled to the Rozaje area
one month ago, told the London-based daily that men in
Yugoslav army uniforms recently forced their way into some
homes in the Rozaje area, robbed the Kosovars staying
there, and ordered them to leave. Some refugees said they
want the Montenegrin police to protect them. Others
charged that "there is no safe place in Montenegro," adding
that they want to go to Albania. PM

MILOSEVIC'S ALLIES BREAK UP MONTENEGRIN 'PEACE
TALKS'

Representatives of the Socialist People's Party
(SNP) walked out of talks in Podgorica on 29 April aimed at
preserving domestic peace and avoiding a civil war between
supporters and opponents of Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic. SNP deputy leader Predrag Bulatovic charged that
the Montenegrin government of President Milo Djukanovic,
who opposes Milosevic, is "obstructing the Yugoslav Army
and treating Montenegro like a separate state." It is unclear
what prompted the walk-out. Djukanovic has often said he
fears that Milosevic will use the conflict in Kosova as a
pretext to stage a putsch in Podgorica. PM

EU OIL BAN GOES INTO EFFECT

The EU's ban on oil
shipments to Yugoslavia has gone into effect, an EU
spokesman said in Brussels on 30 April. The previous day, a
NATO spokesman noted that efforts on enforcing the ban will
center on stopping ships at sea. He stressed that the
Atlantic alliance does not plan to attack oil pumping or
storage facilities in Montenegro, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service
reported. The governments of some 15 non-member
countries have announced that they will respect the ban.
They are Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, the
Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland,
Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Cyprus. PM

NATO COMPLETES 600TH SORTIE AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

A spokesman for the Atlantic alliance said in Brussels on 30
April that "NATO forces" struck a variety of targets in
Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia the previous night,
including two buildings belonging to the Ministry of Defense.
The spokesman called the offices "the brains that guide the
operations" in Kosova. In Geneva, Mary Robinson, who is the
UN's top official for human rights, said that "unless diplomacy
succeeds, [Kosova] will be thoroughly cleansed of Albanians,
while Serbs will...be bombed without end. There must be a
better way." In Belgrade, U.S. civil rights leader Jesse
Jackson said that "until there's a diplomatic breakthrough, the
bombing will escalate and will expand." He met with Orthodox
Patriarch Pavle as part of a mission that Jackson hopes will
lead to the release of three U.S. soldiers, whom Serbian
forces captured just inside Macedonia on 31 March. PM

SERBIAN TELEVISON BACK ON AIR

The overnight air strike
also hit a television transmitter near Belgrade. The Serbian
authorities quickly repaired the damage, and state-run Radio-
Television Serbia (RTS) was soon back on the air with a
limited offering of news and patriotic videos. Observers
noted that several recent NATO air strikes hit either the
studios or transmitters of RTS and that the authorities quickly
resumed broadcasting. RTS is nicknamed "Milosevision" and is
the government's main mouthpiece. PM

AID ORGANIZATIONS REPORT ALBANIAN 'LOGISTICAL
NIGHTMARE'

A spokesman for the aid organization Concern
Worldwide told AP on 29 April that humanitarian aid deliveries
to northern Albania are a "logistical nightmare." He said that in
recent weeks there were cases of muggings and harassment
of refugees by locals, petty theft of relief supplies, and
occasional cases of armed robbery, especially in the Tropoja
region. He stressed that aid organizations must cope with
bad roads and heavy, slow traffic, a virtually non-existent
telephone network in the north, and disputes with district
officials and landowners. UNHCR spokesman Ray Wilkinson
said that "you're in Europe but in some ways you're at the
end of the world." A spokesman for the Irish relief agency
Goal complained about police harassing truck drivers,
ostensibly because they lacked necessary documentation for
their goods. Observers, however, noted that the police
controls are intended to prevent theft of aid supplies. FS

MILO INVITES RUGOVA TO TIRANA

Albanian Foreign
Minister Paskal Milo, speaking to journalists in Tirana on 29
April, called on the Yugoslav authorities to release Kosovar
leader Ibrahim Rugova and allow him to travel to Albania with
his family, Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 April
1999). Milo said he has no means of contacting Rugova
directly, adding that the Yugoslav authorities will not allow
him to leave Kosova. Milo said the Albanian leadership wants
Rugova to come to discuss joint strategies with other
prominent political figures from Kosova and Albania. FS

ALBANIA HOPES FOR QUICK EU ASSOCIATION

Milo told
Reuters in Tirana on 29 April that in Luxembourg earlier this
week, EU officials promised him that they will sign an EU
association accord with Tirana "very soon." The foreign
minister expressed the hope that his country will become a
full member in "about 10 years." He acknowledged that
Albania must first meet numerous membership requirements
and stability must be restored in the Balkans before his
country can join the EU. In Bonn, German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder encouraged Albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko
to work toward membership in both NATO and the EU. He
added that Albania deserves "generous assistance" to
maintain its internal stability following the influx of more than
350,000 refugees, which amounts to about 15 percent of the
country's total population. Schroeder added that "Albania's
political leadership has acted in an extremely responsible
manner in this very difficult crisis situation." FS

WESTENDORP FIRES TUZLA SECURITY CHIEF

The
international community's Carlos Westendorp on 29 April
removed Ferid Hodzic as head of security in Tuzla because
he "failed to support rule of law." Hodzic reportedly tried to
obstruct investigations of charges of fraud, corruption, and
racketeering against several senior officials in Tuzla, AP
reported. Corruption linking the government, the military, and
criminal structures remains endemic throughout Bosnia-
Herzegovina. Elsewhere, a spokesman for Westendorp
refused to confirm or deny reports in the Bosnian Serb media
to the effect that Westendorp plans to leave his job and
return to Spain in June, "Oslobodjenje" reported. The
spokesman added that it is an "open secret" that his boss
will leave his post this summer, but he noted that
Westendorp has not yet set a date. PM

ROMANIA AGREES TO OIL EMBARGO

The Romanian
government announced on 29 April that it will observe an EU-
approved fuel embargo against Yugoslavia, AP reported. A
government spokeswoman said the embargo will begin next
week. The decision comes on the heels of a Bulgarian report
that Serbian tankers are carrying crude oil to Romanian
refineries and returning with fuel. Valentina Yonova, chief of
customs at Bulgaria's Danube port of Vidin, said two Serbian
captains have acknowledged that their barges were carrying
crude oil to Romania for processing. There was no immediate
comment from Romanian officials on the report. PB

FOUR KURDS IN POSSESSION OF EXPLOSIVES ARRESTED
IN ROMANIA

Four Kurdish men were arrested in Bucharest
after police found bomb-making materials and false passports
in an apartment, Rompres reported on 29 April. They were
charged with possession of explosives and illegally entering
the country. They will be detained for one month while an
investigation continues, the Interior Ministry said. Interior
Minister Dudu Ionescu said police are investigating whether
there was any connection to the visit of Pope John Paul II to
Bucharest on 7-9 May. Some 4,000 Kurds live in Romania, and
Turkey suspects that many of them are activists of the
separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party. PB

NATO ADMITS MISSILE CAME FROM ITS WARPLANE...

NATO officials in Brussels said on 29 April that a missile that
destroyed a home in a Sofia suburb was mistakenly fired by
one of their planes, AP reported. U.S. Army Major-General
Henry Kievenaar met with Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov
to express the alliance's "deep regret on the missile
incident." Interior Minister Bogomil Bonev said "there hasn't
been such a drastic violation of our air space so far." Foreign
Minister Nadezhda Mihailova said that if NATO pilots are
having trouble orienting themselves when air-borne, Bulgaria
could use lights to mark its western border. Konstantin
Varbenov, the man whose home was destroyed in the
incident, said that despite his loss, "we better lend NATO our
air space. You see what happens even without our consent. I
want the war to end as soon as possible." PB

...AS AGREEMENT ON AIR SPACE IS SENT TO
PARLIAMENT

The Bulgarian government on 29 April
approved a draft accord allowing NATO planes to use a
limited zone of its air space to conduct raids against
neighboring Yugoslavia, Reuters reported. NATO and
Bulgarian officials have been working out the details of that
agreement and the security guarantees NATO will give
Bulgaria in exchange for the air space rights. The accord
would allow NATO planes to fly in a 130-170 kilometer-wide
strip along the border with Yugoslavia as well as in a 20
kilometer-wide corridor along its southern border with
Turkey. The opposition Socialist Party and other
parliamentary groups are strongly opposed to the accord. PB

NEW POLITICAL BLOC FINDS APPROVAL IN KAZAN

By Floriana Fossato

When a number of influential Russian regional leaders
announced the creation last week of the new political bloc
Vsya Rossiya (All Russia), surprise was expressed not only in
Moscow but elsewhere.

One of the most prominent leaders of the bloc is
Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev. Speaking to RFE/RL
earlier this week on condition of anonymity, Tatarstan
government officials expressed surprise over the creation of
the new bloc and over the 22 April announcement of an
alliance with Otechestvo (Fatherland), the movement led by
powerful Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov.

One official in the government of Tatarstan said that
"nobody" in the republic "was aware of the initiative before it
was announced. Another added that the announcement "was
a complete surprise."

At the same time, the officials who spoke with RFE/RL
praised the initiative as a way to promote regional interests
ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for December.

Shaimiev is considered the informal leader of Vsya
Rossiya. Other leading participants are Bashkortostan
President Murtaza Rakhimov; the president of Ingushetia,
Ruslan Aushev; the presidents of the Republics of Adygeya
and Chuvashya; and a number of influential governors.

According to Saint Petersburg Governor Vladimir
Yakovlev, the bloc will not have a formal leader and will not
put forward a candidate for next year's presidential
elections.

As for the alliance with Luzhkov, one of the strongest
presidential hopefuls, Kazan officials say it could be seen as
regional leaders' response to a statement by Prime Minister
Yevgenii Primakov earlier this year. Primakov had proposed
that a vertical power structure should be re-established in
Russia. He talked about the possibility of appointing, rather
then electing, regional leaders and called for imposing more
discipline on governors.

One Tatar official told our correspondent that
"Primakov's proposal did not raise any enthusiasm in Kazan.
On the contrary, people started asking themselves questions
about Primakov's political intentions and orientations."

According to political analysts, other regional leaders
probably reacted similarly, fearing the return of Soviet-like
structures of power.

Samara Governor Konstantin Titov is head of the
electoral movement Golos Rossii (Voice of Russia), which has
announced its intention to join forces with Vsya Rossii. He
said on 21 April that Moscow should grant more power to the
regions. According to Titov, excessive centralization of
power in the federal government is one of the main causes of
Russia's current crisis.

One day earlier, Russian President Boris Yeltsin--whose
relations with Primakov are reportedly rapidly worsening--met
with the governors of several Russian regions and offered
them more autonomy in exchange for their support.

And this week, the deputy head of the presidential
administration, Oleg Sysuev, said the merger of Vsya Rossii
and Otechestvo would be a "step in a constructive direction."

Attending Otechestvo's second congress on 24 April,
Luzhkov reconfirmed his willingness to form an alliance with
Vsya Rossii. According to Luzhkov, the two movements both
aim to elect a new State Duma that will seek to achieve
"practical results."

In an interview with "Kommersant-Daily" on the eve of
the congress, Luzhkov addressed concerns raised by some
observers about his ability to co-exist with other political
leaders. Luzhkov said the alliance would not entail the
absorption of one movement by another. However, Luzhkov
did not say if he is willing to review previously voiced
positions on what Russia's federal structure should look like.

Fandas Safiullin--the leader of the "Volga Is Our Home"
faction in Tatarstan's legislative assembly--told RFE/RL's
Kazan Office this week that Luzhkov is in favor of liquidating
the national republics, while Shaimiev is a federalist who
favors retaining the republics' sovereignty. Safiullin also said
that--once the two blocs have achieved their main goal of
keeping Communists out of the State Duma--they will likely go
their separate ways.

Other officials in Kazan were less categorical, preferring
to adopt a "wait and see" attitude until after the elections.
They added that Luzhkov and Shaimiev can be considered
"compatible, as one cannot be considered more important
than the other."

Hinting that the support of regional leaders participating
in Vsya Rossiya will be key for Luzhkov's Otechestvo. the
officials said that after December it will become clear which
of the movements will have played the main role during the
parliamentary campaign. That, they concluded, will "help to
prepare the ground for further talks among regional leaders
and Luzhkov."
The author is an RFE/RL correspondent based in Moscow.